


love-in-idleness

by lefargen



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Because it's 2019, Dramedy, Everyone Is Gay, Fairies, Love Confessions, M/M, Magical Realism, Midsummer Night's Dream, Mischief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 17:17:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19024411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lefargen/pseuds/lefargen
Summary: Right before the big Royal Wedding is about to occur, drama ensues in the Kingdom. It is up to Jisung and Chenle, two mischievous little fairies, to make sure love is in balance.or: A Midsummer Night's Dream AU





	love-in-idleness

**Author's Note:**

> me? writing an incredibly self-indulgent fic based off of my own niche interests??? I would NEVER. 
> 
> hehe, anyways here is my fic based off of a midsummer night's dream. the story is about a bunch of little stories that all connect over time, kind of like nct. all ot21 are featured in the fic so please enjoy. 
> 
> i love classic literature and i hope through this fic, you guys can see the beauty in the storyline that i see. i even wrote it entirely in shakespearian english!!! (im totally kidding obvi please read my fic i swear its easy to understand)

The castle is full and busy, people bustling throughout the building trying to prepare for the event of the century: the Royal Wedding. 

King Jaehyun stands in front of his aids, going over last minute preparations, his most trusted advisor Doyoung taking frantic notes. Jaehyun doesn’t worry about the details; he never has. That is what he has Doyoung for. 

Jaehyun starts to lose interest rapidly, his eyes wandering until they set on the person he is set to marry, his beloved. He met Jungwoo just a few short years ago, and he has been waiting to spend eternity with his ever since. 

Jaehyun gets up, ignoring the meeting that is currently taking place, and strides over to Jungwoo, wrapping his arms around his middle and pulling him until his lover’s back meets his chest. His lips ghost the boy’s ears as he whispers, “Just four more nights. Four more nights until the full moon. Until the night I get to make you mine officially.”

Jungwoo smiles at his future husband’s sweet words. He too has been waiting for this day. Spent nights awake, dreaming of the day Jaehyun would marry him and make him his King. 

“Don’t worry, baby,” Jungwoo replies softly, voice oozing fondness. “These days will pass before we know it. Just have a little bit of patience.”

“I myself am losing my patience Your Majesty,” Doyoung interrupts. “Why don’t I take care of the rest of the arrangements that need to be made and you guys go off and be disgusting somewhere else?” he offers sarcastically. 

Jaehyun agrees readily, dismissing Doyoung. He wants to be involved in the planning of his own wedding; it is the most important day of his life after all. But he trusts Doyoung, has been with him for a long time. He knows that his top advisor will have everything arranged perfectly for them, exactly according to their tastes. So instead of worrying, he lets himself pull Jungwoo into his embrace and breath him in, relaxed and content. 

“I can’t wait to marry you,” Jungwoo says eyes drifting towards Jaehyun’s lips. Jaehyun leans in slowly, but just as their lips are about to meet the door bursts open. 

In walks Johnny, one of his Lords. Johnny and Jaehyun are quite close friends, so he is willing to overlook the annoyance he feels at the interruption. 

Following Johnny closely is his son Donghyuck, who has two young men around his age trailing after him. Jaehyun takes one look at the scene in front of him and knows immediately that whatever is about to occur is going to be a mess. 

“King Jaehyun, there is an issue,” Johnny begins, glaring at one of the boys in front of him. Jungwoo and Jaehyun look at each other uneasily before Jaehyun steps forward to take care of the issue. 

“What is it, Johnny?” Jaehyun asks hesitantly. If Donghyuck is here it cannot be good. Johnny is fiercely loyal and protective over his son. The last thing Jaehyun wants before his big day is any more unneeded stress. 

“Donghyuck is supposed to marry Renjun here. But he told me that he doesn’t want to, that he is in love with this boy Jeno over here. It’s ridiculous. This boy somehow managed to bewitch my son into falling for him. Jaehyun, I’m worried for my son’s future here. Help me out,” Johnny explains. 

Jaehyun sighs deeply, not looking forward to the drama that is about to take place. “Donghyuck, can I hear what you’re feeling right now? I would love to hear your perspective on things,” he says gently. He has always had a soft spot for Donghyuck afterall, and wants what is best for him. 

“Renjun is my best friend,” Donghyuck explains. “I love him. I love him so much. But I’m not in love with him. Not like I am with Jeno. Jeno is so special to me. He is the kindest person I have ever met. And he is so beautiful. He is my everything, and I know nobody else could provide me with a happier future.”

Johnny responds quickly, before Jaehyun can get a word in. “Renjun is the son of the most powerful Lord in the Kingdom, Donghyuck. And Renjun is both an artist and a scholar. He is everyone’s dream boy. Please, Duckie. Please see that I am only doing what I think is best for you,” he replies. 

“Donghyuck….” Jaehyun begins, heartbroken at what he is about to do. “Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing. You said it yourself, Renjun is your best friend. And friends always make the best lovers. Maybe you could grow to love each other… in the way you love Jeno.”

Donghyuck looks positively devastated at the news. His eyes fill with tears, pleading Jaehyun, Johnny, anyone to just listen to him. To understand him and what he is feeling. 

“The reason I came to you Jaehyun is, well, you are the King. You can order anything, can’t you?” Johnny says. Jaehyun knows exactly where this is going. And he doesn’t like it all. But he can’t deal with this right now, just days before the wedding. So he makes a quick, rash, heartless decision, in hopes that it will buy him more time. 

“Donghyuck. I am doing this because I love you and want what is best for you. You will marry Renjun, or you will accept your punishment, which will be your removal from the Kingdom Choir, and 1400 days of community service. The choice is yours, you have until my wedding day to make up your mind,” Jaehyun explains, heart breaking at the way Donghyuck bursts into sobs at the demand. 

This is when Jeno decides to finally speak. “With all due respect Your Grace, Renjun isn’t what is best for Donghyuck. Renjun is in love with Jaemin, they had a relationship with each other for years. Donghyuck doesn’t deserve someone who isn’t capable of giving them their entire heart. I promise I will love him unconditionally. I would do absolutely anything for him, just please. Please, let us be together,” Jeno pleads, eyes wide and begging. 

Jaehyun had heard about the relationship between Renjun and Jaemin awhile ago, and he knows that Jeno is telling the truth. Renjun, to his credit, hasn’t said anything thus far, not confirming or denying anything. 

“Donghyuck, we can discuss this later. You and Jeno are dismissed. I will speak to Renjun about his relationship with Jaemin, and talk things over further with your father,” Jaehyun says, as the two leave. 

Once out of the castle, Donghyuck collapses into Jeno’s arms, crying at the cruelty that they have experienced. Jeno grips Donghyuck tightly in his arms, his own eyes filling with tears as he reflects on the possibility that he might be losing Donghyuck forever. 

He pulls away slightly, holding Donghyuck’s face in his hands as he wipes his tears gently. “Duckie, I have an aunt who lives in the next Kingdom over. She is unmarried, and treats me as if I were her own son. If we went to her, we could live in her palace and be married there. We could be together. But we would have to give up everything. I understand if you don’t want to but-” he says before being cut off abruptly. 

“I’ll do it. I’ll run away with you. Just tell me when and where and I’ll go,” Donghyuck responds firmly, not a single shred of doubt in his voice. 

Jeno looks at Donghyuck, dumbstruck and in awe. “Y-you mean that? You would give up your life here to be with me?” he asks tentatively, worried that any second Donghyuck will take it all back and decide that it isn’t worth it. 

“Jeno,” Donghyuck says softly, looking at him with all the love in the world. “I’d give up everything for you.”

The two embrace, holding each other tightly, knowing they won’t ever have to let go. Because in this lifetime, Jeno and Donghyuck will always choose each other. 

They part soon after, but only after they promise to meet each other in the forest at midnight. Donghyuck runs home, eager to pack so he can leave and start his life with Jeno. But when he gets to his room, he is met with a familiar face. 

“Hey, Jaemin,” Donghyuck greets his best friend. “What brings you over?” he asks gently, grabbing a duffle bag and filling it with clothes. 

Jaemin sighs dramatically, falling backwards onto Donghyuck’s bed. “I am just moping because my best friend stole my boyfriend and there is nothing I can do about it because you don’t even love him,” he answers staring at Donghyuck. 

“Wait, what are you doing?” Jaemin asks, confused as to why his best friend is packing his bag. Donghyuck takes a break from his frantic packing and turns towards Jaemin. 

“Me and Jeno are running away, Jaemin. There is no other way we can be together,” he explains, reaching forward and grabbing his friend’s hand. “This is a fresh start for us. And maybe once I’m gone, you and Renjun can be together again. I just want us to be happy, Minnie. I want us to be able to be with the men we love and support each other,” Donghyuck says, squeezing Jaemin’s hand. 

Jaemin helps Donghyuck pack in a daze, shocked at what his best friend is doing. He can’t help but feel jealous that Jeno and Donghyuck are getting the happy ending he has dreamt of. He doesn’t know what will happen to him and Renjun after this, if they will finally be allowed to be together. 

Because the fact of the matter is, Jaemin loves Renjun in a way he will never love anyone else. And Renjun loved him back. But it wasn’t enough in their society, a society built on power. And when one obstacle clears, two more pop up. Their love story is a hydra. 

Jaemin and Donghyuck spend one last evening together before Donghyuck has to go and meet Jeno. They say their goodbyes, with promises to meet again in the future. The two have grown up together; they aren’t letting go just yet. 

It isn’t until later when it hits him: he is alone. Donghyuck left to be with Jeno and it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter because it didn’t bring Renjun back to him. And that’s when Jaemin gets in his head. 

Maybe Renjun didn’t fight for their relationship harder because he didn’t want to. Maybe he was in love with Donghyuck, and the news of his betrayal would break his heart. Jaemin’s number one priority is Renjun’s happiness, more important than anything else. More important than his best friend’s loyalty. 

So he makes a decision. He decides he has to find Renjun and warn him. He has to tell him about Jeno and Donghyuck’s plan. 

☽

In another part of the Kingdom, a group of common men meet in the theater, preparing for the greatest moment in their entire careers: their big break. 

“Thank you all for coming,” a man steps forward, looking out at the small group of men sitting in front of him. “My name is Lee Taeyong, and you are all here because you’ve been selected to perform in the play that will be the entertainment during the wedding of King Jaehyun and his beloved Jungwoo,” he begins, taking charge as the leader and director of the group. 

“I will call each of your names, and explain your roles to you, do you all understand?” Taeyong asks expectedly. The men in front of him nod, eager to learn about their life-changing parts. 

“Winwin, you will be playing the lead role. Your character is the most handsome man in the Kingdom, so we thought it was quite fitting that we would give you that role. Does that sound all right with you?” Taeyong asks. 

“It is my honor to play the lead role, and I will work my hardest to deliver a performance worthy of the King’s eyes,” Winwin responds, a look of determination present on his face. 

Taeyong nods moving on. “Taeil you will be playing the part of Winwin’s lover. This role has a very long solo in it, and your voice is perfect for it,” he explains. 

Taeil blushes at the announcement. “You m-mean,” he stutters bashfully. “I get to play the role of Winwin’s lover?” 

Everyone in the crew snickers to themselves. Taeil’s crush on Winwin isn’t exactly subtle, and they all know full well how excited he is at the revelation. Winwin however, looks less than enthusiastic. 

“Moving on…” Taeyong interrupts, getting everyone back on track. “Yuta you will playing the role of the Fairy Godmother. This is typically a female role, is that something you are comfortable with,” he asks. 

Yuta nods enthusiastically. “I support and respect women and will give this role the attention it deserves,” he promises. Taeyong seems satisfied and moves on. 

“Mark you will be playing the role of the lion. I thought this made sense given the fact that you look like a baby lion,” he says. Everyone agrees, but Mark himself looks embarrassed. He nods anyways and they begin discussing logistics. 

They finish the meeting with their first rehearsal planned, ready to give it their all in order to entertain their King and his new husband. 

“I have a good feeling about this,” Winwin says as they exit the theater. “I think this will be a unique experience for us all,” he says, the others nodding in agreement. 

A unique experience indeed. 

☽

King Jaehyun reigns over the Kingdom, and the deep forest is technically under his jurisdiction. However, they are ruled by an entirely different breed; the fairies. Two fairies in particular, Kun and Ten. And right now, the two leading fairies are at all out war with each other. 

“So basically what happened is Ten and Kun went on a trip to Germany together for their anniversary. And when they went there, they found a child,” Hendery explains. 

“Yangyang is his name,” Xiaojun adds, looking to fill Lucas, their fellow fairy, in on the drama. Lucas nods along enthusiastically, interested to learn what caused the riff between the two fairies. The three of them are loyal to Kun, however, they really enjoy Ten’s company, and want the two to make up quickly. 

“And they brought the child back to the forest to raise it. But now they are arguing, because Kun wants to raise him in a stress-free environment, give him a normal childhood. But Ten wants to train him to be a knight. Ten thinks Yangyang has a lot of potential. And now they won’t speak to each other because of it,” Hendery finishes explaining. 

Lucas opens his mouth, ready to respond when Ten enters. The fairies immediately disperse, not wanting to get caught gossiping, and go back to their chores that they were completing for Kun. 

Ten is flanked by his own servants, his much more mischievous than Kun’s. Jisung and Chenle have been Ten’s servants for awhile, and while they get distracted pranking mortals often, they are fiercely loyal and lots of fun. 

“All right kids, we need a game plan. I want that kid and I am going to get it. Are you guys willing to help me?” Ten asks his servants expectedly. 

Chenle and Jisung nod enthusiastically, ready to do whatever they must for their leader. Knowing Ten, they were about to cause some mischief. 

“There is a flower, deep in the heart of the forest, called love-in-idleness. It is bright neon green. This flower was once hit by one of cupid’s arrows. If you rub it on someone’s eyes while they are sleeping, they will fall in love with the first person they see after they wake up. I want you to find this flower, rub in on Kun’s eyes while he is sleeping, and make him fall in love with some animal. A horse, a goat, whatever… it doesn’t matter,” Ten explains. 

Chenle and Jisung looks at each other with pure delight in their eyes. This is exactly the sort of tasks they love to do. Tasks that end in chaos. They look at Ten, eyes shining, waiting to hear the rest of the plan. 

“While he is in love, I will sneak up and grab Yangyang from him. And he will give him to me willingly, because he will be so infatuated with some other creature he won’t care about anything else. What do you, say? Think you can handle this task?” he asks expectantly. The two servants nod, running towards the forest, eager at the pandemonium they are about to cause. 

☽

 

Jisung and Chenle find the love-in-idleness flower quickly, and grab several of its leaves, before they turn back towards the fairy village, eager to get the substance back to Ten. However, they stop dead in their tracks as they hear voices in the near distance. The quickly hide, and begin eavesdropping at the two figures that stumble in the forest in front of them. 

“Renjun, wait!” the voice calls out, trying to keep up with the boy in front of him. “Please wait up, just hear me out!” he yells. 

The boy, Renjun Jisung and Chenle deduce, turns around to face him. “Jaemin, please don’t do this. Don’t make this any harder than it already is,” he pleads, taking one step towards him. 

“Be honest with me Renjun. Please, just be honest. Do you love him? Do you love Donghyuck?” Jaemin asks. Jisung and Chenle can see the utter heartbreak in his eyes. 

Renjun looks at Jaemin solemnly, sadness peaking through his own eyes as well. “Jaemin, all of the people my dad has tried to set me up with previously were awful. And then he told me to marry my best friend and it just seemed so much better than all of my other options. I don’t get to choose my own life, Jaemin. I have to pick the best of what I am given. Donghyuck is my best friend. He is my best chance at being happy,” Renjun answers, trying to make Jaemin see where he is coming from. 

Jaemin’s eyes start overflowing with tears. “B-but what about u-us?” he asks. “I love you, Renjun. I love you so much. So much more than Donghyuck ever could.”

Renjun reaches forward, grabbing Jaemin’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry Minnie. But sometimes that just isn’t enough,” he says before dropping his hand and starting moving again. 

“I have to go, I have to find them before it's too late. I don’t know what will happen to me if Donghyuck and Jeno get away, but it could be bad. I’m sorry, Jaemin, but I have to do this,” he says as he walks further into the forest. Jaemin runs off in the opposite direction, sobs echoing throughout the forest. 

Chenle and Jisung reemerge, shocked at the emotional scene they just witnessed. There is nothing worse than love out of balance.

“That was hard to watch,” Jisung says, heart aching for Jaemin and the sense of loss he is feeling. Chenle nods in agreement, face stoic as he stands deep in thought. 

“You know what Jisung, let’s split up. I’ll deliver this flower to Ten, and you take one of the leaves and put it over Renjun’s eyes. Make him fall in love with Jaemin enough to be with him. They deserve a happy ending together, and I want to give it to him,” Chenle says. 

Jisung agrees and they wish each other luck as they split up. Chenle heads towards their home in the forest, eager to deliver the flower to Ten and complete his task. Jisung runs towards Renjun, desperate to catch him before it's too late. 

☽

When Chenle gets back home, Ten is already waiting for him. When his eyes zero in on the flower in Chenle’s hand, he lights up, eager to implement his plan. 

“Good job, Chenle. I know I can always count on you. Where is Jisung?” he asks, reaching out and grasping the flower in front of him. Chenle thinks quick, brain wracking for an excuse to give Ten so he doesn’t get suspicious. 

“He was tired, and decided to turn in early. His body hasn’t adjusted to the time difference from being in Germany,” Chenle lies, voice unsteady, but undetectable to Ten, whose mind is elsewhere. 

They spend a couple more minutes talking before Ten leaves, going to sneak into his and Kun’s shared bedroom. Ten has been sleeping in the guest room lately as a result of their feud. 

When he enters, Kun is fast asleep, looking as precious and innocent as a heavenly cherub. Ten spends a minute staring at him, taking in his beautiful face. The face he misses dearly, despite his reluctance to admit it to himself. He hopes that once this is over, and he has obtained what he wants, they can make up and go back to normal. As normal as it can get for two fairy kings. 

He approaches the sleeping figure, and strokes him cheek softly, before reaching into his pocket. He takes out the leaf and gently kisses Kun’s forehead before rubbing the leaf against his eyes. Once he is sure that he has effectively tainted Kun’s romantic instincts, he sneaks back out. 

Ten feels a little guilty for what he has done, but he has always gone above and beyond to get what he wants. Afterall, all is fair in love and war. 

☽

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Donghyuck and Jeno are walking, fighting their way through bushes, trees, and logs to find the end of the forest. However, the darkness surrounding them seems to be a giant obstacle in their escape. 

“Duckie, I think we should stop and camp here for the night. It’s too dark to see at this time and we might accidentally get lost. Let’s lay down, try and get some rest and then we can leave in the morning,”Jeno suggests. 

Donghyuck agrees readily. He is eager to leave with Jeno and begin their life together, but the journey has been quite taxing so far and the idea of a break sounds lovely to him. 

Jeno, being the gentleman he is, finds a small, smooth surface to lay on, and offers it to Donghyuck. Donghyuck whines at first, wanting to spend the night cuddling with Jeno. 

“Don’t worry about it, baby. One night separated won’t hurt. Especially given that starting tomorrow, we’ll never have to spend another night apart,” Jeno says, stroking Donghyuck’s hair as he lulls him to sleep. 

Once he is certain Donghyuck has fallen asleep he kisses both of his eyelids, and searches for a spot for himself to lie on. Once he finds something reasonably soft, he lays down. He drifts off to sleep, dreams about the future that he has always wanted playing out in his mind. After tomorrow, it will no longer be a dream. 

Not long after the two lovers fall asleep, another figure enters the forest. 

Jisung has been searching for Renjun and Jaemin for hours and has yet to find the couple. At this point, he is beyond frustrated, and it is getting harder for him to see. He is just about to give up when he spots a couple several of meters in front of him. _Aha._

Jisung approaches the man, leaf in hand, ready to solve their troubles. It’s so dark that he can’t make out any of the man’s features, so he spreads the leaf across his entire face, hoping that some of it would reach his eyes. Once he is satisfied with his work, he retreats, ready to go back to home and report his success to Chenle. 

Little does Jisung know, the sleeping man in the forest was not Renjun. 

☽

All is peaceful in the forest for a couple of hours, until a sobbing Jaemin enters the scene, desperate to find Renjun and try one more time to make things right. To make him see his undying love for him. 

It’s so dark that he can’t see anything, stumbling through the forest until he trips over something, and falls ungracefully to the floor. He groans loudly, trying to regain orientation, when suddenly a figure is grabbing him. 

Jaemin lets out a loud scream, startled at the hand on his leg, before his eyes settle on the face in front of him. Jeno. 

“Jaemin,” Jeno breathes out, his voice sounding thick with an emotion Jaemin doesn’t recognize, “How is it that you look even more beautiful than normal under the moonlight?”

Jaemin blinks, trying to make out the expression on Jeno’s face. After a few seconds of decoding, he recognizes the emotion as awestruck. “Jeno, what the fuck?” is all he can manage to say, because he doesn’t quite understand anything at this point. 

Jeno’s looks like a love struck puppy, staring at Jaemin with wide eyes. “I’m glad you came, Jaemin. I’m making the biggest mistake of my life being here in this forest. Let’s go back to the Kingdom. I want us to be together. I want to spend my life you with you, Minnie,” Jeno confesses. 

Jaemin looks at Jeno with a mix of shock and horror, especially at the use of the intimate nickname from an unfamiliar source. “Jeno, what are you saying? What about Donghyuck?” he asks tentatively, with an ounce of skepticism. 

Jeno looks disgusted at the mention of Donghyuck, and quickly answers “Donghyuck means absolutely nothing to me. I love you, Jaemin. You are the one I want to be with.”

Jaemin stands there confused for a second, before he realizes what is happening. “Oh I see what is going on here. You are playing a prank on me. Poor sad Jaemin, can’t be with the man he loves. Let’s make things worse for him. Let’s make him feel like garbage, even though he already absolutely hates everything and everyone,” he says. 

Jaemin feels the tears prickle his eyes, shocked at the utter cruelty he is facing, before he turns away and runs off. Jeno gets up immediately, shouting after him and following the other boy. _I’m not going to let him go, Jeno thinks. I have to follow him and talk to him until he agrees to be mine._

The shouting wakes up Donghyuck, who had been fast asleep throughout the entire encounter, oblivious to the chaos that had just occurred. He can hear Jeno yelling in the distance, but he doesn’t see him anywhere around him. 

“Jeno? Baby?” he calls out. He is met with silence. 

☽

Chenle is, to put it honestly, exhausted. But his work isn’t done. Ten said he would rub the leaf over Kun’s eyes, but it his job to find the creature for him to fall in love. This is the fun part for Chenle, the part where he gets to cause some mischief. 

He stumbles through town, but most people aren’t awake yet. It is still very early in the morning. He searches the entire town, and it seems the only people who are awake are the actors in the theater, practicing for their upcoming performance for the King. He figures they must be nervous, and added early morning practices to ensure that everything is performed perfectly. 

The director, steps forward, and announces, “Let’s start from the top. Yuta, Taeil, and Mark get into position onstage. Winwin, go backstage and wait for your cue.” _Perfect._

Chenle follows the man, Winwin his mind supplies, knowing this is his time to strike. He can’t help but notice that this man just so happens to resemble a baby chick. This gives Chenle an idea. 

It’s almost too easy. It’s just a flick of the wrist, and suddenly Winwin’s head is replaced with something else entirely. The man doesn’t even notice. He just stands there patiently, waiting for his cue. 

When he gets it, he enters stage left, and is immediately greeted with screams. The actors, as well as the director, are horrified at the creature that stands in front of him. The creature that is half man half… _baby chick_? They all run away, out of the theatre, leaving Winwin standing on stage in shock. 

Chenle steps forwards, casting another spell, knocking the man unconscious. He then proceeds to levitate the body and bring it back home. Back to Kun. 

☽

Chenle enters the bedroom and quickly reverses the consciousness spell on Winwin, before gently tapping Kun on the shoulder. As the two become aware of their surroundings, Chenle quickly disappears. His work here is done. 

Kun takes one look at Winwin and falls in love instantly. He gets up from his bed and immediately pulls Winwin into an embrace. Winwin, unsure of what to do, tentatively hugs back. 

“Stay here. With me. I promise I can give you a home and a beautiful life. A life an angel like you deserves. What do you say?” Kun offers, desperate at any attempt to get this creature to stay. 

Winwin thinks about what just happened to him. How his peers ostracized him. How they seemed disgusted by him. And here a stranger is, ready to give him a beautiful life. So Winwin agrees, nodding at Kun and ready to accept his invitation. 

A wide grin graces Kun’s face, before he calls out, “Hendery! Lucas! Xiaojun! Come here please.” Not 30 seconds later, three little fairies enter the room, ready to serve their master. 

“This is my soulmate. You are to wait on him hand and foot. Give him everything he asks for, do I make myself clear?” Kun asks firmly, aggressively. The three nod at him, trying not to let the shock show on their faces. 

“I’m going to go make arrangements to take the entire day off so we can spend it together. If you need anything, ask these three,” Kun says, pecking Winwin on the cheek before exiting the room. 

Hendery, Xiaojun, and Lucas stand in front of the strange creature, ready to follow Kun’s orders, no matter how bizarre the situation seems. 

“That man is so kind. My colleagues ran away from me like I was some freak. What chickens,” Winwin says rolling his eyes. Lucas snorts at this comment, Xiaojun elbowing him to get him to stop. 

Winwin stays in the bedroom for the rest of the morning, the three little fairies doing everything he asked, just as their master specified they do. 

☽

Jisung is walking through the forest, pleased at his job well done, when he stumbles across a different man. He looks closer, and realizes he has made a really big mistake. Because the man in front of him, asleep on the ground, is Renjun. Jisung quickly grabs the scraps left from the leaf in his pocket and frantically rubs it over Renjun’s eyes, before running away again. 

Jisung really hopes he didn’t make a huge mistake by rubbing the love-in-idleness leaf on the wrong person. There is nothing worse than love out of balance. 

Soon after, Jaemin and Jeno appear, loudly arguing. The noise wakes Renjun up, lifting his head as he stares directly into the eyes of the person in front of him. Jeno. 

“Jeno, what are you doing here?” Renjun asks, giddy with excitement. He can’t believe his luck. He just realized he is in love with Jeno and the man appears right in front of him. 

“Renjun, we need to talk. You can have Donghyuck, I don’t want him anymore. I could never want him. Not when Jaemin exists in this world,” Jeno admits, staring at Jaemin dreamily. 

The admission makes Renjun’s blood run cold, body going stiff like his veins have been replaced by icicles. He feels his heart shatter, aching that his love isn’t returned.

“Jeno,” Renjun begins hesitantly, “I don’t want Donghyuck anymore. To be honest I don’t think I ever did. He is my best friend but…. Nothing more,” he declares.

Jeno looks angry, livid at the admission. “You lost your chance at being with Jaemin, Renjun. I’m not giving him up so you better back off before I make you,” he growls, taking a step forward to shield Jaemin from the imminent threat. 

But Jaemin steps forward, angrier than he has ever been. He doesn’t understand how the two of them could be so cruel, especially Renjun who told him thousands of times that he loved him. “This prank is getting out of hand. I can’t believe you’d stoop so low, especially you, Renjun. You said you loved me,” he says heatedly wiping his tears. 

Renjun scoffs at Jaemin’s suggesting, “I don’t love you, Jaemin. I love Jeno,” he says. 

_"What!?"_ a fourth voice enters the conversation. That is when everyone notices Donghyuck’s presence, having finally caught up with the rest of them. 

“Sorry, Junnie. I love you, I truly do. You’re my best friend. But Jeno is mine,” he says, pulling Jeno into a back hug. A back hug that is immediately shrugged off. Donghyuck looks at Jeno, confused, before being told, “Sorry, Hyuck but I am not yours. My heart belongs to Jaemin.”

Jaemin buts in at this point. “What the fuck, Hyuck. You are one of my best friends, we literally grew up together. And now you are planning this elaborate prank to what? To hurt me? For what? Can’t you see I’m hurt enough. My heart is already aching, and you can’t spare me even an ounce of mercy?” he yells. 

Donghyuck, taken aback, yells too. “What? You just stole my boyfriend and you are asking me about the cruelty? How do you think I feel? Don’t you think my heart is aching too right now?”

Renjun opens his mouth to respond, when he drops to floor, immediately becoming unconscious. The rest of them follow suit. 

Across the field is a panting Jisung, glad that he stopped the temporarily stopped the problem. He quickly reverses the enchantments and leaves the youth to deal with their own problems from here on out. He is never meddling in other people’s love affairs ever again. 

☽

Ten runs into Kun in their living area, and sees the bright light in his eyes. The light that only comes from being madly, deeply in love. A look Ten used to see from Kun in regards to him. 

“Kun, I heard you met someone new,” he says, feigning ignorance. He sits on the arm of the chair and stares at him inquistily, trying his hardest to seem like he doesn’t know or care what is happening with Kun. 

Kun sighs, before turning towards Ten, putting his hand on top of his. “I’m really sorry it had to end like this, Ten. But I love Winwin now. I hope there aren’t any hard feelings between us. Let us still be friends,” he says gently, sounding so Kun-like that it makes Ten miss him even more than usual. 

Ten barely has to fake his sadness. He knows that Kun is enchanted, but the words still sting a little. “I don’t know how I will move on. But give me Yangyang. I think he is the only thing that will help me get over this,” he says, fake pain slipping off his tongue.

“Of course,” Kun agrees easily. “Whatever helps you move on. Besides, Yangyang doesn’t matter to me anymore. Nothing does. Nothing except Winwin. Speaking of which, I should get back to him,” he says before turning back towards the bedroom. 

The sweet sting of victory feels more like an ache than Ten originally thought it would. 

☽

A giant breakfast is prepared later in the morning by Lucas, Xiaojun, and Hendery. Everyone in the fairy palace gathers to celebrate the arrival of Winwin. 

Ten looks on at Kun, sitting with Winwin in his lap stroking his hair, and feels nothing but intense sadness run through him. He didn’t expect it to hurt this much, but it does. Having sole authority over Yangyang isn’t worth losing Kun. Nothing is. 

So when Winwin stands up to go to the bathroom, Ten immediately knocks Kun out. The fairies look on alarmed, before Ten reverses the spell and wakes Kun back up. 

Kun looks at Ten confused, not remembering anything that has transpired the past morning. Ten reaches across the table, grasping hold of Kun’s hand. “Baby, let’s stop fighting. Please. I miss you so much,” Ten admits.

Kun squeezes his hand back gently, “Me too. Let’s compromise on Yangyang. We will raise him to be tough and soft. He will have a little piece of both us,” he offers as an idea. 

Ten agrees immediately. A piece of both Ten and Kun. He liked the sound of that. He leans in, about to kiss his partner, when the sound of someone entering the room interrupts them. Chenle.

“Chenle, Winwin is in the bathroom. Go get him and return him back to his own life. Make him forget this whole thing never happened. Once you’re done, you and Jisung can take the rest of the week off. I won’t need you anyways, I will be spending the whole time enjoying Kun,” Ten says. Chenle nods, and quickly leaves to fulfill the order. 

“Who is Winwin?” Kun asks. 

☽

 

Back in the forest, Johnny and Doyoung lead a search party, desperate to find the four missing teens. It’s still morning, but they started as soon as the sun had risen, desperate to find them. When Johnny discovered that Donghyuck was missing, his heart stopped. All he ever wanted as a father was to give his son the best possible life, but in the process he might’ve driven him away. 

He walks through the forest, eyes darting in every direction, desperate for a clue, for anything that could lead him to his son. Doyoung finds them first. 

“Johnny they are over here. I think they are sleeping. Unless…,” Doyoung trails off, causing Johnny to book it to him, the ineffable need to check and make sure his son is okay overtaking all rationality. 

“Donghyuck,” he says shaking his shoulder. “Donghyuck, wake up. Are you okay? It’s dad,” he says. Doyoung, in turn, starts shaking the shoulders of the other three boys, and slowly the four of them start to awake. 

“Dad?” Donghyuck asks, blinking at his father confused. “What are you doing here? Where am I?” 

“You’re in the forest,” Johnny replies easily, stroking his back gently. “Do you remember how you got here?” he asks, voice soft, given that the boys had just awoken. 

They all shake their heads, unsure of how they got into this situation. They all remember the meeting with King Jaehyun but after that everything becomes a little fuzzy. 

“You know, Hyuck, I’ve been thinking. Waking up to find you missing was the biggest scare I’ve ever had. And it put things in perspective for me. All I want is to make sure you are happy and healthy. And if Jeno can give you that, well- you have my blessing,” Johnny announces. 

Jeno and Donghyuck looks ecstatic, jumping into each other’s arms and holding each other tight. They can be together. They can be together without having to give up everything else. 

Their embrace is interrupted by Renjun clearing his throat, but his attention isn’t on them. It’s on Jaemin. The other boy stares back intently, a look that feels too personal for the rest of them. Doyoung and Johnny drag Jeno and Donghyuck away to give the other two some privacy.

“Jaemin. I don’t know how we ended up here, but my first thought when waking up was to check and make sure you were okay. And I think you will always be my first priority. No matter what, you are always going to be above everyone else. You will always be it for me,” Renjun confesses, tears welling in his eyes as he speaks. 

Jaemin’s own eyes look misty at Renjun’s words, and he steps forward to grab his hand. Renjun intertwines their fingers and gives his hand a squeeze, letting Jaemin know that Renjun is in this with him. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t fight for you. I thought it would be easier to leave on my own than to be taken from you. But it doesn’t matter. It will always hurt. Unless I am with you it will always hurt. I love you so much, Jaemin, and I’m going to fight for you. I will not stop until we can together because it’s my only priority. That is--- if you’ll take me back,” Renjun gulps nervously. 

Jaemin leans forward, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss before answering against his lips. “There is no taking back. You’ve always been mine. You’ll always be mine. End of discussion,” he says before melting into another kiss.

The two don’t know what the future holds for them, but they know they’ll get through it. The two steady each other in a way no one else could. In a way only soulmates are capable of. And, afterall, there is nothing worse than love out of balance. 

☽

The actor’s gather back at the theatre after the fright they received in the morning. All have somber looks on their faces, worried about their friend Winwin who went missing earlier in the morning. 

“Do you think the chicken man like… like ate him or something,” Mark asks curiously. 

“Absolutely not,” Taeyong replies at the exact same time Yuta replies “Probably.” Taeyong glares at Yuta, chastising him for being so morbid. 

Taeil looks in the distance, eyes looking incredibly sad. “I hope he is okay. I don’t even care about the play or the wedding anymore. I just want him to be okay,” he says softly. 

“Speaking of the play, what are we even going to do?” Yuta asks. “We are missing our lead. I don’t even know how we are going to put on the show..” he trails off. 

Suddenly the doors burst open, Winwin entering. With a normal, handsome, human head. The actors get to their feet immediately, cheering and rushing to hug him. 

“I’m glad you’re happy to see me, but let’s get back to practicing. We have a wedding to prepare for,” Winwin says, causing the troupe to cheer along. 

☽

And prepare they do. The play goes off without any problems, King Jaehyun and King Jungwoo thoroughly enjoying it. In fact, King Jungwoo tells the men that he wants to establish an official Royal Theatre Troupe, led by Taeyong and his band of actors. It really is a dream come true. 

The entire wedding is magical. The two kings are so in love, and all of the guests can see it. The couple’s first dance has the entire room sobbing, shocked at the intimacy of it. Shocked at the pure love in their eyes. 

Once their first dance ends, the dance floor is flooded by other couples, hoping to bask in the love that is filling the air. 

Jeno holds Donghyuck’s waist tightly, staring deeply into his eyes. “Someday that’s going to be me and you,” he whispers, causing Donghyuck to blush, hiding his face in Jeno’s neck. 

Across the floor from them is Renjun and Jaemin. After 36 full hours of arguing, Renjun’s father finally agreed to let the two be together, in exchange for Renjun promising to take over the family business in a few years. 

It’s their first appearance together in public as a couple, but not their last. They both know they are never letting each other go now that they finally have the opportunity to be together. 

And sitting above them all, tucked high on the tops of the curtain sit two mischievous fairies, watching it all with smiles on their faces. 

Everything was in balance. 

☽

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading. leave anything you want in the comments, i am open to anything you have to say lol. 
> 
> i basically have no life right now for the time being so expect lots of writing for me this summer as i try to get my life together lmao
> 
> until next time xoxo
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/lefargenjeno)
> 
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.me/lefargen)


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